Past & Present: Hermione's Story
by Nicole Christine Potter
Summary: People from the past are back in the future, Voldemort is now back in power, what more could happen? Apparently, alot.....My version of 5th year, from Hermiones POV. Please Read & Review! H/H
1. Hermione Elizabeth Granger

Hermione Elizabeth Granger is the smartest 5th year witch in all of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. She excelled in every subject, & was known for her knowledge of all things. She knew all the details of the school that could be found in a textbook, as she had read them all. But even through all the knowledge there was still one thing she didn't understand-men. So, as July 31 approached, Hermione still hadn't found a decent present for her best friend Harry. First of all, he was a boy, & that made it hard enough to get a gift, but what do you get a guy that is famous & has all the money you could even think of? And it's not like he needed Quidditch tips; he was the youngest house player in a century! So, what to get him? She decided to go to Diagon Alley to find something for Harry. Hermione ran down the stairs of her cozy 2 story house to ask her parents if she could take the Knight Bus down to Diagon Alley for the day, because now there were only 2 days left until Harry turned 15.  
  
"Sure honey, you can go," Mrs. Granger said absent-mindedly. "Just stay safe, okay dear?"  
  
"Yes mother," Hermione answered.  
  
Muggles, Hermione thought. They knew absolutely nothing of the safety measures that would be there now because of Voldemorts return. There would probably be Aurors on every corner of the Alley. She summoned the Knight Bus by sticking out her wand hand, then hopped onto the bus.  
  
"'Ello there," the friendly driver Stan said. "Where'll ya be goin' today ma'am?"  
  
"Diagon Alley please sir," Hermione said politely.  
  
"Tha'll be 5 sickles please," he said. She gave the man the coins, stepped into the area behind the driver's seat, & sat down on a bed.  
  
Thirty minutes later, Stan yelled out, "Diagon Alley! We're here!"  
  
Hermione snatched up her purse & jumped down off the bus. She tapped the bricks in the Leaky Cauldron to enter the actual alley. She looked around in several shops before she found anything even semi-interesting.  
  
"Hmm, not this," Hermione muttered to herself as she walked amongst the different stores.  
  
It wasn't until she decided to take a break for ice cream that she saw something that sparked her interest. It was a small necklace with a phoenix charm that dangled in a small run-down shop that she had never noticed before. The bell tinkled as Hermione eased open the door to have a closer look at it. It was even more beautiful up close. Harry would love it; the necklace wasn't "girlie" in the least. She now noticed that there was a small engraving on the back.  
  
In the time when darkness kills without a fight, The phoenix & the unicorn shall unite, With the ferret & the squirrel to end this perilous night.  
  
It was only then that Hermione noticed a small unicorn charm dangling from an identical chain with the same engraving on the back. She thought there should have been a ferret & a squirrel necklace hanging next to them, but those seemed to have already been taken.  
  
"Hello there," said a rough, quiet voice from seemingly out of nowhere. 


	2. Diagon Alley

"Huh?" Hermione asked, surprised.  
  
"I am Mr. Johnson, the owner of this shop. I do say it is interesting that you have come across this shop. Most people barely glance at it. I wonder why?" Mr. Johnson trailed off, lost in his own thoughts.  
  
Suddenly, he snapped back to reality. "Anyhow, those two pendants come as a set. There were two others, a ferret & a squirrel, but those did not come as a set. That engraving on the back is an old prophecy made by Merlin himself. So, would you like to purchase them?"  
  
"Sure, but can you gift wrap that phoenix one? It's a birthday present for a friend," Hermione said.  
  
"Okay, well since you are really the only one who has ever looked at those, & they have been in the shop window quite a while, I can give you a deal. Only 7 sickles each. How about it?"  
  
"Okay then," she said, & flipped him the money.  
  
"Thank you!" Mr. Johnson called out after Hermione as she left the store with Harry's present. She decided to keep the unicorn one for herself, it looked so elegant & sleek, she loved it. It was about 4:30 by the time she left. She then went off to get her ice cream that she started out to get in the first place. So, she sat down at the Ice Cream parlour with a Neopolitan ice cream & had a chat with the owner, Mr. Fortesque. After she finished it was 5 o'clock, so Hermione decided to go home before her parents got mad at her. The ride back home on the Knight Bus was extremely uneventful. As soon as Hermione got back to her room, she grabbed a piece of parchment & wrote a quick note to Harry. It said:  
  
Harry~ Happy Birthday! I can't wait to see you again! I hope you love the present! I tried very hard to get you something other than a book for once.  
  
Love, Herm  
Then, she tied the note and the present around her owl Vincent's leg, & sent him off. Surprisingly, she hadn't heard from Harry yet this summer. All she had heard was that the Dursleys weren't treating him very well, & that was from Ron. Some day, those Dursleys would pay for what they did to Harry. 


	3. Diagon Alley Again

The remaining days passed by slowly, until, at last, the day arrived when Hermione had planned to meet Harry & Ron at Diagon Alley. She couldn't wait to look around that little shop that she had bought Harry's birthday present from. As she slid out of bed that morning, she started to wonder if Harry would even show up. If the Dursleys really did beat him, they probably wouldn't want him to go away. When she fastened her own necklace around her neck, she began to wonder if Harry really liked her present. She realized that lately, she had been thinking a lot about Harry. Suddenly, she fell into a deep trance-like state.  
  
"Freak!" "Abnormalty!" "Be grateful I ever let you into this household!" Hermione could see Harry! The Dursleys were beating him & hitting him! No wonder Hermione hadn't heard from him yet. "Get out! Get out now! Go meet your freakish friends at that freakish school of yours & don't come back until next year!"  
  
Hermione snapped out of the trance. "That. Was. Strange," Hermione muttered. She really looked forwards to Hogwarts this year. The friends, the adventures, the classes, it was all at Hogwarts. She had also been chosen as a 5th year prefect, to no ones surprise. Hermione found herself gathering her things to leave mindlessly, there was too much to think about. "I hope Harry is okay. I know Ron will find a way to get him out of that evil household though, they managed it before, they'll manage it again," Hermione thought.  
  
"Honey! We're leaving!" Mrs. Granger yelled up the stairs.  
  
She ran down the stairs as fast as physically possible, out the door, & into her mother's red Chevy Suburban before anyone could say another word.  
  
"Whoa! Where's the fire?" Mr. Granger asked kiddingly.  
  
"Oh honey, leave the poor girl alone. You know she wants to see her little friends," Mrs. Granger answered.  
  
The two adults walked out to get in their car. Mr. Granger got in the front seat & turned the ignition. The car started off easily, & the trip to the Leaky Cauldron was uneventful, as usual.  
  
"Hermione, sweetie, we can't go in there with you, because we have some errands to run, but we'll be here to pick you up at 6, okay?" Mrs. Granger said.  
  
"Sure mum! Love ya! See you then!" Hermione called out as she ran into the Leaky Cauldron.  
  
She couldn't wait to see her two best friends again, the summer had been long enough. She tapped the bricks & waited patiently for the bricks to form the familiar archway that led in. As soon as the arch was big enough, she ran in to the Alley to Gringotts, where they had agreed to meet before they went into the huge bank to get their money, then go to buy their things for Hogwarts. As she ran up to the steps, she noticed many familiar faces, those of the Weasleys, Harry, & much to her dismay, Malfoy, Crabbe, & Goyle in the background, just waiting to taunt the so called "Golden Trio".  
  
"Harry! Ron! Ginny! Everyone! I'm so happy to see you all!" Hermione screamed.  
  
After everyone said their hellos & Hermione got a big hug from Mrs. Weasley, they went into Gringotts Bank. Hermione was very pleased to note that Harry was wearing his necklace, but very angry that he was bruised & cut in several visible places, & she was positive that he was also hurt all over under his robes.  
  
"Why if it isn't Potty, Weasel, & the little Mud-blood. So we meet again," drawled a familiar unpleasant voice, that they all knew only too well.  
  
"Shove off, Malfoy," Harry said harshly. "I'm not in the mood for your stupidness now."  
  
"Fine, but just know that I'll never be far from you," Malfoy answered.  
  
"Draco, that has got to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard," Hermione said.  
  
Suddenly, she froze. He was wearing something she had never seen, but she knew it all too well. 


	4. Gringotts

Disclaimer: I own next to nothing! Only the plot is mine! So sad, ain't it?  
  
Draco was wearing the ferret pendant, which she could only guess was the match to hers & Harry's. Hermione already knew that they had those pendants for a reason, they were most likely the matching animals in the prophecy. Why they were animals though, she couldn't guess. The fact that Malfoy was a ferret, it nearly made Hermione laugh. Who could forget the time last year when Professor Moody/Crouch turned him into a ferret in the Great Hall?  
  
"Where did you get that pendant, Malfoy?" Hermione asked coolly, but she really hoped she wouldn't have to "unite" with Malfoy, even if it did mean saving people.  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know, Mudblood?" Malfoy drawled. "Well, just because I'm so nice, I'll tell you. Some anonymous person sent it to me earlier this summer, probably as some kind of stupid joke. Ha! I'll get them."  
  
Oh great, Hermione thought to herself. That anonymous person was most likely Merlin's ghost or something, getting him to wear the pendant.  
  
"If you hate it so much, why do you wear it then, idiot?" Harry asked.  
  
"The retarded person who sent it to me said that I had to wear it, they'd find out if I didn't. I highly doubt they could do anything to me, but I still wear it in case the Dark Lord is the one who sent it to me," Malfoy answered.  
  
Ha! Yeah right, Hermione thought. Like the evilest wizard in the world would send the son of a Death Eater a ferret pendant. Just the thought of it made her want to laugh.  
  
"Well I've got to be going. I have more important things to do than stand around chatting with the Mudblood & her nasty friends," Malfoy said with a sneer, & strode off.  
  
With that, the Weasleys, Harry, & Hermione walked into Gringotts, the large wizarding bank. Everyone walked their separate ways, so they could get out to get their new school things faster. Hermione stepped up to the tall desk, which an extremely ugly goblin was sitting behind.  
  
"May I help you?" The goblin said with his raspy voice.  
  
"Yes, I would like to access my vault please. It's number 548," Hermione answered politely as ever.  
  
"Key please," the goblin said, almost as rude as Hermione had been polite.  
  
She slid the key to her vault across the grubby desk & let the ugly creature examine it.  
  
"Right this way please," the goblin said, and now Hermione could see his nametag when he got out from behind the desk. His name was Gratchclaw.  
  
Weird name, she thought to herself as he led her to a cart.  
  
"Hold on tight, you know the procedure," Gratchclaw said evilly.  
  
After much rocking & clacking down the rickety cart path, the cart screeched to a halt.  
  
"Vault 548. Come on, come on, out you get," said Gratchclaw.  
  
Hermione gathered several gold Galleons, silver Sickles, & bronze Knuts into her small purse & got back into the old cart. The sickening ride back seemed longer, but it always does after a while, too much of anything can make you sick. She met up with Mrs. Weasley & the others as they waited a couple of minutes for Harry to return so they could get started on their shopping.  
  
A/N: I would give replies to reviewers, IF THERE WERE ANY! Err. Sorry the chapters are still a little short, I will only improve if I get a reviewer. 


	5. Shopping

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Everything else is JK's.  
  
A/N: I got a reviewer! Yay! Now the chapters will be slowly getting longer, if anyone else comes. Hermione's thoughts "Regular talking"  
  
Annie Took: Wow. Thanks. Do you really like it? Ha, now you know, it wasn't a ring.  
  
The group slowly set out; each group of a different year going in a different direction, as they all had different things to get. Hermione, Ron, & Harry had all decided to only take what they usually took this year. Strangely enough, in Hermione & Harry's letters, Dumbledore had written a PS, something he almost never did. It said something about them taking special extra courses. Neither of them knew what it meant at all though. Harry, like Hermione, had been made a Gryffindor Prefect, but sadly, Ron didn't make the cut.  
  
"Hmm, let's see what to get first," Hermione said, looking at her list.  
  
"Let's go to Flourish & Blotts, it looks like we have a bunch of new books," Harry said, also taking out his list & looking at it.  
  
Indeed, they did have quite a few more books than normal. They needed Standard Book of Spells: Grade 5, Advanced Potions, Dark Magical Creatures & How to Deal With Them, The Advanced Book of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Elements of Life & Death, Advanced Herbology, The Beginners Book of Apparation, Year 5 Transfiguration, & about 4 others. So, the trio wearily made their way to Flourish & Blotts, not wanting the extra heavy load they would be carrying when they left. The tiny bell on the door rang softly when Hermione, Harry, & Ron entered. After much searching & grabbing, they finally had all the books they needed.  
  
"Gee, I love to study, but isn't this a bit much?" Hermione asked herself.  
  
"Where to next boss?" Ron questioned jokingly to Harry.  
  
"Looks like we'd better go to the Apothecary now, we wouldn't want Ol' Snapey to get mad at us for forgetting our Potions ingredients, would we?" Harry said with a grin.  
  
"Ol' Snapey?" Hermione said incredulously.  
  
"Just kidding, just kidding Herms," Harry said, now his grin widening.  
  
"Humph," Hermione grunted. She grinned a little. "You better be. If you weren't, I think I'd have to inform 'Ol' Snapey' that you've gone mad. Maybe then, you could run off to the mental farm together," Hermione said, her grin getting as wide as Harry's did.  
  
"Oh, cut it out you two. Let's get a move on," Ron said, cutting in.  
  
"Fine. To the Apothecary then."  
  
They trudged out the door of Flourish & Blotts to go to the Apothecary. The usual stench of all the different potion ingredients immediately filled their nostrils the second they stepped through the door. Hermione tried to get her ingredients as fast as possible so she could pay & get out. Harry & Ron apparently had the same idea, because they managed to get in & out within 10 minutes.  
  
"Finally, I thought we would never get out of that stink room. It smells worse than that old pair of Uncle Vernon's socks that I have! And that's saying a lot," Harry exclaimed once they were out.  
  
"Yeah I know," Hermione said.  
  
They rest of the day passed quickly, each getting a new dress robe & several other items that they needed for school. Harry had informed them that he would be staying at the Leaky Cauldron for the rest of the summer, his aunt & uncle were infuriated, Uncle Vernon had just lost his job, & they took it out on Harry.  
  
"That's why I'm so cut & bruised. But I don't want to talk about it now," Harry explained.  
  
At about 5:30, they all met back at Florean Fortescues Ice Cream Parlor for a quick ice cream then Hermione had to leave. Mrs. Weasley chatted about all the new happenings at the Ministry to whoever would listen. Fred & George were having a hushed conversation about who knows what (A/N: I bet Harry does), Harry & Ron were talking about, who could have guessed, Quidditch, & of course Hermione & Ginny talked about boys & the latest fashions. Six o'clock came only too fast, & Hermione had to leave Harry & the Weasleys. Mrs. Weasley said that they would be off to the Ministry soon to visit Percy & Mr. Weasley if they could.  
  
"So, honey, how are all of your little friends doing?" Mrs. Granger asked when she got in the car.  
  
"Oh, they're fine," Hermione said dully. Except for the fact that his only family has savagely beaten Harry, they're just great. Hermione added in her thoughts. I wonder how Harry is doing back at the Leaky Cauldron. Suddenly, she fell into that trace-like state again. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Harry was stretched out on his bed in the Leaky Cauldron, staring up at the ceiling. He looked rather uncomfortable. From all the cuts & bruises on his back, it was no wonder why. Weird. I can see Harry again. Suddenly, Harry sat up quickly. He looked around the room suspiciously, like he was trying to find someone, but apparently he couldn't see them, so he lay back down. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Hermione snapped back out of her trance. That's the second time I've done that. What's wrong with me? 


	6. Hogwarts At Last

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the plot, everything else is JK's.  
  
A/N: WOW! 3 reviewers! That's a record for me!  
  
Ljpottafreak: Hey! Glad you found it! Thanks!  
  
Annie Took: Thanks again! I don't think it will be, I have better plans for Draco. :: laughs evilly ::  
  
Rhysel Ash: Hey! Thanks! Arg, I fell like a broken record player; Thanks, thanks, thanks! Never fear, the chapters will be longer now!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Slowly, the days on Hermione's "Witch's Weekly" calendar on her nightstand ticked past, possibly even slower than waiting to go to Diagon Alley, until, finally, the glorious day came when she would return to her wizarding world home, Hogwarts. Her family once again drove her into the heart of London to go to Kings Cross station. She passed through the barrier with ease, trying to find Harry & Ron through the mob of students was the tricky part.  
  
"Herm! Over here!" Hermione heard from across the platform.  
  
"Harry! Ron!" She screamed when she realized it was them. "Bye mum, bye dad!" Hermione said quickly, hugging each in turn, then running off to see her best friends again.  
  
"ALL ABOARD!" The trio heard shouted from the train.  
  
There was a mass rush of everyone hurrying to say their goodbyes & get on the train before they were left behind. Harry, Ron, & Hermione bustled on the scarlet red train, searching for empty compartments. When they finally got to the last one, they slowly opened the door, hoping it wasn't already crammed. Luckily, there was only one other person in it. She was about their age, and very tall. She had stunning greenish blue eyes, with long, wavy, beautiful hair.  
  
"Excuse us, but everywhere else is full," Hermione said, as Ron was staring google-eyed at the girl, & Harry was buying his usual haul of sweets.  
  
"No, I don't mind at all," the girl said, giving them a dazzling smile. "By the way, I'm Kat, Kat Lee. Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Hermione, this is Ron here, & Mr. Sweet King over there is Harry," Hermione introduced.  
  
"Harry? Harry Potter?" Kat asked incredulously.  
  
"Yup, that's the one," Hermione said dully.  
  
"Wow! It's not every day you get to meet a living legend," Kat said.  
  
"By the way, you look like you're our age. Why haven't we seen you at Hogwarts?" Harry said, coming back from the trolley lady.  
  
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, I'm a transfer student from Salem," Kat answered.  
  
"Salem?" Ron said stupidly, still staring at her.  
  
"Salem Academy of the Magical Arts. You must have heard of it, it's one of the best schools in America," Kat said cautiously.  
  
"He has, don't worry, he's just a little, um, off at the moment," Harry said, trying to stifle a laugh.  
  
They sat the rest of the way to Hogwarts, laughing about the stupid things, talking about You-Know-Who's return, mainly just teenage things. They made it all the way to Hogwarts without the usual run-in with Malfoy, surprisingly enough.  
  
"We will be arriving at Hogwarts in approximately 5 minutes," came a magically magnified voice from the front of the train.  
  
"I guess that means we'd better get ready then," Ron said dreamily, still not quite fully in his right mind.  
  
They all hurriedly put on their Hogwarts uniforms on over their muggle clothes, & soon enough, they were at Hogwarts. They took the horse-less carriages to the Entrance Hall, where Kat parted, because she needed to be sorted. Harry, Ron, & Hermione went to their usual spots at Gryffindor table to watch the sorting, looking forwards to seeing Kat get sorted into, hopefully, Gryffindor. As they approached the table, however, they found two oddly familiar adults sitting there, waiting, although they could not quite place their fingers on the names. One was a man, who looked startlingly like Harry, & the other was a woman who wore a grim expression on her face.  
  
"Harry, Hermione, we need to speak with you, alone," the man said.  
  
"Um, sure," Hermione said, wondering how the two adults knew their names.  
  
"Ron, would you mind waiting here, it shouldn't take too long," Harry said.  
  
The man & woman led them to the room that Harry had been in after he had been chosen for the Triwizard Tournament. Surprisingly, two other students were in there, Draco Malfoy & Susan Bones, with two other adults, & Hermione already knew that Susan would be wearing that squirrel pendant.  
  
"We have some surprising news for you," one of the men said. 


	7. Strange Beginnings

"Now I see that you are all wearing those pendants, & yes, that was our doing. Wait, forgive me, we have forgotten to introduce ourselves. I am Godric Gryffindor, this is Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, & Salazar Slytherin, founders of Hogwarts, at your service."  
  
"Godric, let me talk a minute," interrupted Salazar. "Now I know you area wondering, how can I be here, if I'm dead? Well, we have been specially transported here by an old forgotten spell so that we could train you. The truth is, you are our heirs." He paused a moment to let it sink in.  
  
"My turn to talk!" Rowena cut in. "We will each in turn explain why you are our heirs, as you are no doubt wondering why. Hermione, you are my heir. You know that you are adopted, correct?"  
  
Hermione nodded yes, too stunned to talk.  
  
"Well, your last name before you were adopted by those muggles was Ravenclaw. You aren't muggle-born, as you thought before. You are my heir," Rowena explained.  
  
"Draco, you are my heir," Salazar said.  
  
Draco grinned. Then, he stopped. "But sir, in my second year, my father said that he didn't know who was commanding that basilisk, & only the heir of Slytherin could," Draco said.  
  
"Ah yes. You see, as you know, Tom Riddle is the other heir, but not the youngest. He is your father. Narcissa is indeed your real mother, & she was married to Voldemort before he turned dark. She got pregnant with you right before he did go bad, in fact. Then, she married Lucius, who thought that you were his son, but alas, you are not. Narcissa knew that you weren't Lucius', so as soon as you were born, she charmed you to look like him, so nobody would suspect anything," Salazar finished.  
  
"Ah, Harry. As you no doubt know now, you are my heir," Godric said.  
  
Harry nodded nervously.  
  
"Well, that needs no explaining! You look almost identical, & I'm very proud of you."  
  
"Ms. Bones, you already knew you were my heir long before this didn't you?" Helga asked.  
  
Susan also nodded shyly.  
  
"And that also needs no explaining! Let's get down to buisiness!" Helga exclaimed.  
  
"Each of you will be taking special training courses from us, Harry from Godric, Hermione from me, Draco from Salazar, & Susan from Helga," Rowena said. "You will learn some 7th year curriculum, I have made sure that you can do it, because you may need to use these things against Voldemort at any time. Any questions?"  
  
Nobody said anything.  
  
"Okay then, now that that is settled, I believe there is a feast to be eaten!" Godric said happily.  
  
As Hermione & Harry walked back to the Gryffindor table, they were surprised to find Kat & Ron sitting there talking & laughing. It seemed that Ron had finally quit staring at her long enough to have a decent conversation. The food had already appeared on the plates, & everyone else was stuffing their faces. 


	8. Old Enemies, New Friends

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!  
  
A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, they are greatly appreciated!  
  
Rhysel Ash: Glad you like it!  
  
Annie Took: Hey! Glad you think so, a bunch of people liked that. I'll try to read them, but sorry if I can't because I'm really busy with this thing.  
  
Simizar Aurelia Hallowell: Lol. You think this is cheesy, you should read my other story! Thanks for reading!  
  
Hermione talking telepathically *Harry talking telepathically* #Draco talking telepathically# @Susan talking telepathically@ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Harry & Hermione sat down with the rest of the Gryffindors to enjoy the feast. Hermione was really looking forwards to her lessons with Rowena & the other founders. Most likely, it would be Rowena doing most of her lessons, & some group lessons with the other students & founders. The feast was delicious, as usual, but it passed slowly, as Hermione couldn't wait for the next day to come, & she could have her private lessons. Finally, Dumbledore dismissed them to bed, & Hermione snapped into action. She had Prefect duties to attend to, she had almost forgotten.  
  
"First year Gryffindors, this way!" She shouted above the hubbub.  
  
Reluctant to leave the wonderful feast, the little first years trailed after her & Harry.  
  
"Come on, I'll lead the way. Now watch out for these staircases, they like to move around," Hermione said. Harry, for some reason, remained silent.  
  
The firsties "Ohh"ed & "ahh"ed at the moving portraits & magnificent architecture of Hogwarts. Soon, they arrived at the Fat Lady portrait.  
  
"Listen closely, here! This is important! This is the entrance to the Gryffindor common room! The password will allow you to get in, so I suggest you pay attention. It will change every 2 weeks. This time's password is 'Hipporufagus'," Hermione said.  
  
The Fat Lady portrait swung open. As soon as they all had gotten inside, Hermione started up again.  
  
"Okay, the dormitories are up those stairs, girls on the left, boys on the right. Off to bed now!" Hermione said cheerfully.  
  
She gratefully went up to her own dorm, then changed into pajamas & got in bed, even though it was only 8:00. The night wouldn't be able to go fast enough.  
  
The next morning, Hermione jumped out of bed excitedly. Today she would start her lessons with Rowena. She got into her own Hogwarts robes, ran down the stairs, out the portrait, & into the Great Hall before anyone could say anything.  
  
"Hello, Professor McGonagall! Do you have our schedules yet?" Hermione asked hopefully.  
  
"Yes, in fact I do," McGonagall said. "Here is yours."  
  
Hermione took her schedule, and then looked it over carefully.  
  
Monday Breakfast Charms 9:30 Defense Against the Dark Arts 10:45 Lunch Herbology 2:00 Dinner  
  
Tuesday Breakfast Transfiguration 9:00 Lunch Arithmancy 2:25 Dinner  
  
Wednesday Breakfast Potions 10:40 Lunch History of Magic 1:25 Defense Against the Dark Arts 2:35 Dinner  
  
Thursday Breakfast Care of Magical Creatures 8:55 Lunch Dinner Astronomy Midnight  
  
Friday Breakfast Defense Against the Dark Arts 9:30 Lunch Dinner  
  
**You will have your private lessons with Rowena every day at 4 o' clock, & a group lesson with all the other founders at 5 on Fridays.  
  
Hermione was so excited about her lessons this year. They would get more advanced work, but unfortunately, more homework also. They were going to take their O.W.Ls this year too, but that was no problem for the smartest student in school. She especially couldn't wait for 4 o'clock today for her classes with Rowena, the part she had really been looking forwards to, ever since she had been told about them last night. Since it was now 8:00, she still had an hour & a half until Charms; she sat down for a nice leisurely breakfast before her day really started. Harry & Ron came rushing in at 8:50, & sat down to eat with Hermione. Ron had the same stupid grin on his face as yesterday, & Hermione couldn't help but ask why.  
  
"He asked Kat to be his girlfriend this morning, & she said yes," Harry explained.  
  
Ron obviously wouldn't be able to talk for a while, so at 9:15, Harry & Hermione set off for Charms together. The class was uneventful, they were reviewing the Summoning Charm, which Hermione & Harry had mastered last year while practicing for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The rest of the day passed also uneventfully, until finally, it was time for Hermione to go to her class with Rowena. Earlier that day, she had been told that her class would be held in the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom, so she headed that way. When she reached it, she eased open the door slowly, wondering what they would do.  
  
"Hello Hermione! Welcome to your private class with me!" Rowena said cheerfully.  
  
"Hullo," Hermione said, trying to hide her excitement.  
  
"Well, today we will just be talking about the abilities of that pendant you are wearing," Rowena said.  
  
"It has abilities?" Hermione asked incredulously.  
  
"Well of course silly," Rowena said. "Did you really think that it was just a little necklace for show?"  
  
"I guess not," Hermione said, now feeling quite stupid.  
  
"Yes well, anyhow, that pendant will allow you to see what any other heir who is wearing their pendant is doing. It will also allow you to talk to them telepathically, if you wish. All you have to do is think hard about that person, & you will see them, & think something, as if you were talking to them, & they will hear it."  
  
"Neat!" Hermione exclaimed.  
  
"Would you like to try it?" Rowena asked slyly. "Harry, Draco, & Susan are each in their own lessons with the other founders, so you can try to see them, they should be ready for it."  
  
"Sure," Hermione said nervously, not knowing if she would be able to do it. She forgot of course, that she had already done it without knowing during the summer.  
  
Hermione thought very hard about Harry, & what he was doing, & she fell into the familiar trance-like state again. Harry, can you hear me? Hermione asked in her mind. *Yeah, this is totally weird.* She heard in her head. She could also see Harry standing there in the Charms classroom. Hold on a moment, I want to ask Rowena something. Hermione said.  
  
"Rowena, can we all talk together? All four of us, I mean?" Hermione asked. She wasn't really thinking of talking to the others, mainly just spying on Draco for blackmail.  
  
"Why yes, you can," Rowena said, surprised. "Just think of the other person while already talking to someone, & you can talk to both. You can see all of them in a kind of split-screen effect in your head."  
  
Excellent. Hermione said, getting back to Harry.  
  
*What is excellent?* Harry said, confused.  
  
We can spy on Draco now! Hermione said.  
  
*Great! Let's try it!* Harry said.  
  
Hermione focused her thoughts on Draco now, & saw him standing in a different room, one she didn't recognize.  
  
Haha! This is great! Hermione told Harry.  
  
*Yeah!* Harry said back.  
  
@You know I can hear you.@ Came a drawling voice. He seemed to be hiding a laugh.  
  
*Darn. That would have been the perfect blackmail tool.* Harry said.  
  
@I was just thinking the same thing!@ Draco said.  
  
The three of them talked until the end of the lesson, actually getting along for once. They decided to keep their friendship a secret, just for appearance purposes. Susan was left out of it, but then again, she was a Hufflepuff. They were known for their inability to stay quiet. Hermione now looked forwards to the next day even more, because now she could talk to Harry & Draco whenever she wanted, & Rowena promised that tomorrow she would teach them how to talk without falling into the trance & actually seeing them if she wanted. This year was definitely going to be her best year so far at Hogwarts.  
  
A/N: Ha! How do you like that? I made a long chapter!! 


	9. Cats, Couples, & Spells

A/N: Sorry about the long wait everyone.There is a severe case of writers block going on.  
  
Another low time on reviews.I'm not even going to write my replies to these.they are just remarks, nothing I can answer.  
  
Hermione speaking telepathically  
  
*Harry speaking telepathically*  
  
@Draco speaking telepathically@ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The days passed slowly yet again, nothing eventful happening until one chilly Saturday at the end of September. Hermione only had her private class with Rowena that day, so she was sitting outside with Harry by the lake for a while. They talked about their private lessons, regular classes, & of course, made fun of Snape. Suddenly, they heard a very strange bird calling from the Forbidden Forest.  
  
"What was that?" Hermione asked.  
  
"No idea," said Harry. "Let's find out though."  
  
The two cautiously walked towards the Forest, trying to escape both the Whomping Willow & the prying eyes of the Caretaker, Argus Filch. They looked up in the tree with the mysterious bird to find, not a bird, but Crookshanks! He was high up in the tree, probably 70 or 80 feet up.  
  
"Crookshanks! You stupid cat! What the heck are you doing up there?" Hermione said frantically. She turned to Harry. "How on Earth are we going to get her down?"  
  
"Hermione, I seem to recall that you don't have a good memory in stressful situations, but must we constantly have to remind you that you are a witch?" Harry answered jokingly.  
  
"Oh yeah," Hermione said. "Accio Crookshanks!"  
  
Crookshanks flew out of the tree directly into Hermione's arms.  
  
"That was great Hermione!" Harry congratulated her.  
  
"Why thank you," Hermione said in a mock snooty voice. "Would thy kind sir be able to accompany thee to the castle, by chance?"  
  
"Of course," Harry said, laughing. "Come on."  
  
Harry led Hermione to the castle & as far as he could go without missing the turnoff for his classroom. Hermione left Crookshanks to bask in the sun by the lake while they were at their lessons.  
  
"Hello again," Rowena said cheerfully when Hermione arrived in the classroom.  
  
"Hey Rowena," Hermione said.  
  
"What's wrong this time?" Rowena asked.  
  
"How did you know?" Hermione asked, shocked that she could tell that something was bugging her.  
  
"Well, two reasons. One, I've been around for a thousand years, what do you expect, & two, that look on your face is the absolute give away."  
  
"Well, anyways, I do have a problem. It's men. I really, really like Harry, but he is too infatuated with Cho Chang to even notice me! I don't understand. What do I do, oh, Merlin, what do I do?" Hermione asked pleadingly.  
  
"Hmm.that is a tough problem. I really don't know what you can do, other than just be with him, & care for him. He's not a total bird-brain, he'll be able to tell soon enough anyways that Cho isn't interested & he'll have to move on." Rowena answered.  
  
"Thanks!" Hermione said.  
  
"Now, onto today's lesson. I'm going to show you an ancient spell, one that was created by an old Spanish wizard centuries before even I was born. It's totally forgotten nowadays, I'm the only one that knows of it, though I'm highly suspicious of Dumbledore, I think he might know it. It's a spell that you cast on yourself once, then you will be able to become invisible whenever you choose. While you choose to be invisible, nothing will be able to touch you, unlike when you wear an invisibility cloak. Let's practice without the wands first. The incantation is Invicto Invisibilidad."  
  
After practicing several times, Rowena agreed to let Hermione perform the spell.  
  
"Invicto Invisibilidad!" Hermione said confidently, while pointing her wand to herself. Suddenly, a tingling feeling shot through her body, then faded slowly.  
  
"Very well done!" Rowena said excitedly. "Now, to actually become invisible, you just have to want to be invisible & you will be. To stop being invisible, just think about being visible again, & it will happen. You can try it now." "Okay," Hermione said, a bit frightened. She concentrated on being invisible, then the tingling sensation came back, lingered for a while, then disappeared, along with the rest of her appearance. She felt light, & could move as fast as lightning, as she was almost nothing but a spirit now that she was invisible & couldn't be touched. She could hear Rowena giggling with joy because she had successfully done the spell.  
  
"Okay Hermione. You need to come back now, because the class is over now," Rowena said after a while.  
  
Hermione reluctantly became visible again, & bid Rowena goodbye.  
  
*Hey Hermione* She heard in her head.  
  
Hey Harry. How were your lessons? Hermione asked. She was going to take Rowena's advice & be more caring towards Harry.  
  
*Oh, they were okay.* Harry replied. *I have a question. Hermione, will you be my girlfriend?*  
  
YES YES YES!! HE FINALLY GAVE UP CHO! Hermione thought. I'd love to! She answered.  
  
*Thanks* Harry said. *I'm glad I have someone to talk to now. I was getting a little lonely, what with Ron always being off with Kat, & I didn't want to be bugging you with my life if you didn't care.*  
  
You never bug me Harry. Never have, never will. Hermione answered back. What do ya say we go bring good ol' Draco in to our little conversation & talk to him for a while.  
  
*Sure.* Harry said.  
  
@I'm way ahead of you.@ Draco said.  
  
How do you do that? Hermione said.  
  
@Do what?@ Draco asked, confused.  
  
You always come in right as we start to talk about you!  
  
@Oh that. I have my ways.@ He said sneakily.  
  
They talked the rest of the night, then eventually had to go up to sleep. 


	10. Let the Battle Commence

A/N: Only one reviewer, how sad.  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot & the occasional character that you don't recognize from JKR's books.  
  
Simizar Aurelia Hallowell-Oh, you'll see, you'll see.WHAHAHAHAHA!  
  
@Draco@  
  
*Harry*  
  
Hermione  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The next day, a Sunday, Harry & Hermione walked down to breakfast together, just enjoying each other's company & their food. The bacon, toast, & muffins were delicious, so after they had been devoured, the couple went out to sit by the lake again. Then, they heard the worst sound you could hear. It was a bloodcurdling scream coming from the castle.  
  
@Harry, Hermione, go to the Chamber of Secrets, QUICK! @ They heard inside their heads.  
  
What's up Draco? Hermione asked as she & Harry ran at break-neck speed towards the castle.  
  
@I refused to become a Death Eater, & since Voldemort is my real father, he decided to come & attack the school, blaming the loss of a future faithful Death Eater on Dumbledore. @ Draco said.  
  
*That's stupid, * Harry said.  
  
@Yeah, I know, but I can't help it. Fortunately, Salazar taught me a useful little trick that I can use until you make it here. @ Draco said, & you could almost hear him smirk.  
  
By this time, Harry & Hermione were on the third floor, almost in the girl's bathroom where the entrance to the Chamber was located. Harry whispered something in Parseltongue, which must have meant "Open up" or something because then all the sinks began to shift to show a giant hole in the floor.  
  
"Here goes nothing," Harry said, then plunged down to the depths of the Chamber.  
  
"Why me?" Hermione said, then jumped down after Harry. Hermione felt her feet crunch the bones of the dead creatures littering the ground.  
  
"Come on Hermione," Harry said quietly.  
  
After going through many more doors & Harry saying many more snake- like phrases, they arrived at where Draco was being chained to the ground.  
  
"Wait Harry!" Hermione whispered urgently.  
  
Hermione quickly made herself become invisible, & Harry said an incantation to himself, then steel armor began to slowly appear all over him.  
  
"Whoa! Where did you go?" Harry said quietly, as the strange man still hadn't noticed them.  
  
"It's an invisibility charm Rowena taught me," Hermione answered. "What's up with the armor?"  
  
"Invincible armor spell. Godric taught me," Harry explained.  
  
"Okay then. Let the war begin."  
  
Both of them suddenly rushed forwards to Draco's aid, except it only looked like Harry was running as Hermione was invisible, & the man wouldn't be able to tell it was Harry anyway, because he was in all battle garb now, from head to toe. He also had a sheath hanging from his waist, which Hermione knew contained the sword of Godric Gryffindor. Hermione pulled out her wand, & Harry did the same.  
  
"EXPELLIARMUS!" Both Harry & Hermione shouted at the same time.  
  
The strange man flew off his feet so that the two had time to untie Draco. It was only then that they noticed a very NON-sober Voldemort slouched in the corner.  
  
"What did you do to him?" Harry asked incredulously.  
  
"I used a spell to make him drunk for a while. Salazar taught me so that if there was ever anyone trying to attack me, I could make them drunk so they wouldn't be able to do anything for a while," Draco said, stifling a laugh.  
  
"I've got to learn that one," Harry said.  
  
Draco still couldn't see Hermione, & she realized that, then became visible again.  
  
"Whoa! And I've got to learn that one!" Draco said.  
  
"Okay, I'll tell you now, because it might save your life & it would seem that You-Know-Who is waking up now. Just say Invicto Invisibilidad while pointing your wand at yourself, then concentrate on becoming invisible," Hermione said, trying to go fast, as she didn't want an enraged Voldemort at her back.  
  
"Invicto Invisibilidad," Harry & Draco muttered.  
  
They all 3 became invisible just as Voldemort truly came back to his senses.  
  
"PETTIGREW!" Voldemort shouted. "Drat! Where has that darned Malfoy gone? Oh well, I'll get my revenge sooner or later. Mobilicorpus." With that, he stormed out, with Peter Pettigrew trailing after him.  
  
"Let's go," Hermione heard, although she couldn't tell who it was, as all were totally invisible.  
  
They snuck out, back to the bathroom, & into the Great Hall, where they finally became visible again.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore, sir," Hermione said, walking up to where all the teachers sat. "It's You-Know-Who, he's in the castle!"  
  
"It's okay, I will handle this," he said calmly. He turned to the students quietly eating their lunches. "Everyone to your common rooms immediately. Hermione, Harry, Draco, as Prefects, would you please lead your fellow classmates?"  
  
"Yes Professor," all of them chimed.  
  
Once again, they parted with Draco & led their classmates back to Gryffindor Tower. Once they got there, Hermione was surprised to find that Godric & Rowena were there waiting for them.  
  
"Hullo Harry, Hermione," Godric said.  
  
"Hullo," they chorused.  
  
"We have decided to do you an early double lesson right here, because we don't want you to go wandering around with that evil wizard on the loose. Well, actually, not right here, we have something we want to show you," Rowena said.  
  
"Salazar wasn't the only one with a secret chamber. All of us had our own, that no one else knew of. I only just found out that the others had one. Since we wanted you to have a double lesson today, we'll do have the lesson in my chamber. Follow me," Godric said.  
  
Harry, Hermione, & Rowena all followed Godric past classrooms, statues, & portraits, until they reached the 3rd floor corridor that had been restricted in their 1st year. Then, they went down the trapdoor, but instead of finding all the obstacles that had been there so many years ago, they found a large statue of a lion.  
  
"Okay, not to sound critical or anything Godric, but we've been here before, so it couldn't have been too secret," Harry said.  
  
"I know you've been here before. Dumbledore only knows about this place because he is the heir to Merlin, & he never misses a beat. Your Professors did those other enchantments, but they didn't know where the things would be going. Dumbledore used a kind of magical box to hold the enchantments, then they flew around the chamber to where they settled down," Rowena explained.  
  
"Sort of like a Pandora's Box affect?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I guess it could be put that way," Godric said.  
  
"Anyhow, to get where we need to go, I'll need to open this here statue. Harry, you know you can speak Parseltongue because when Voldemort tried to kill you, he gave some of his power to you. Well, being my heir, you can also speak the language of the phoenix. Give it a go why don't you? Just tell it "Move away please?" & it will do as you ask," Godric said.  
  
A sort of humming song came out of Harry's mouth, and the large statue jumped aside to reveal al set of stairs, much like the ones leading to Dumbledore's office.  
  
"Very good Harry!" Godric said.  
  
They climbed the stairs to see that they had come out into a very tall tower, with windows all along every side, so that they had an excellent view of the entire Hogwarts grounds.  
  
"It's beautiful," Hermione marveled.  
  
Indeed, it was beautiful. There were giant fluffy couches, armchairs, & large mahogany tables with lions & phoenixes carved on the legs. The couches had bunches of little red pillows with gold tassels & gold pillows with red tassels.  
  
"Onto the lesson!" Rowena said."It's the moment you've all been waiting for.we're doing Animagi today! " She pulled two bottles of purplish liquid out of her pocket. "If you would just drink these & hold out your hand, a model of the animal you are to become will appear in your hand."  
  
Hermione took the potion vial & drank it hesitantly. It tasted very.organic. Then, an exact replica of the unicorn on her pendant appeared in her hand. She looked over to see that the exact replica of Harry's phoenix pendant in his hand.  
  
"Of course! The pendants! How could we have forgotten?" Rowena said to Godric. "Those pendants were meant for you, & we knew that was because the prophecy was made about you. Those animals represented you, but we had forgotten why. They are your animagi!" She said, turning to the two students.  
  
Harry sniggered. "That means Malfoy is a ferret!"  
  
Hermione burst out laughing.  
  
"Why, may I ask, is that so funny?" Godric asked.  
  
"Last year, Barty Crouch Jr. was disguised as Professor Moody, & he turned Malfoy into a ferret in the middle of the Great Hall," Hermione explained in between peals of laughter.  
  
"Ah, yes well," Godric said.  
  
"In order to actually turn into your animagi, you need to repeat after me, just take out your wand. You need to say: Deenfo emit ymni flesruoy wohs, nihtiwla mina," Rowena said.  
  
"Deenfo emit ymin flesruoy wohs, nihtwla mina," they both echoed. (A/N: special cameo to the 1st one to figure out what that means)  
  
"Great work you two! Now all you need to do when you want to turn into your animal is to think very hard about it," Godric said. "Now, since that must have been very tiring, you can rest here, look around out the windows, whatever you please."  
  
They spent the rest of the time lounging in chairs, gazing at the clouds & grounds through the windows & talking about things. Hermione was glad she could have someone to talk to for once, now that the battle of good & evil had truly commenced.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: Okay, if you just totally skipped over my authors note in the middle of the chapter, then I should tell you, the first person to correctly guess what the animagi spell means, then you get a special cameo appearance in this. Get cracking!  
  
~*~Nicole~*~ 


	11. Author's Note, Please Read!

Okay, everybody, listen up. Since the new Harry Potter book has come out, I was wondering if anyone would still want to read this story. So, in your review, please write what you think I should do. I'm either going to just stop writing the whole thing, keep going like nothing ever happened, or skip over to 6th year to keep from confusing you. It's your choice. Please tell me what you think. After five votes (yeah, it's not much, but if I put anything bigger, it'll take a year since almost no one reads this anyway), I'll do what I can. Thanks a lot! 


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